Saturday, April 22, 2017

Tableware for Tea Time 1

Most people in Japan love tea time. It gives us workaholic Japanese a valid
excuse to take a breather from our hectic day.
Tea time is a precious, relaxing moment when we step away from work to
sit down, talk with one another, and reconnect.“Let’s have some tea.”, “Would you like some tea?”,
and “I’ll pour some tea.” are common phrases used throughout the day between
one another. When we happen to meet up
with a friend on a street, we have a quick chat and often say goodbye with
“Let’s have some tea next time.” Even an old, stereotypical pick-up line is
“Wanna go have some tea?”. Tea seems to
play a unique role in creating intimacy between people in Japan, perhaps
because of the long history of influence from the Japanese tea ceremony, a ceremony
of hospitality that creates intimacy between the host and the guest.We believe a moment of tea time will be even more pleasurable
experience if you have a special tea set, so we gathered a wonderful selection
of items related to tea time for our event “Tableware for Tea Time” that started last week. The following are some of
the lovely items from our event that we are excited to introduce.

[Saori Yamazaki Small Teapot 9,720 yen Large Teapot 12,960 yen]

The beautiful sisters of tea pots with vine
handles by Saori Yamazaki are looking radiant on display. Yamazaki-san specializes in making tea wares
in Kasama City, a city historically known for pottery making. The teapots that Yamazaki-san makes are
highly sought after by not just Japanese customers but by our overseas
customers as well because they are known to be both functional and
aesthetically pleasing. The stylish,
delicate form of the teapots is carefully crafted so that the spout does not
drip on the side.

[Saori Yamazaki Teapot]

We are charmed by the stunning shade variation
and refined form of these pots.

[Manabu Tanaka Teapot 10,800 yen]

We adore this teapot by Fukui Prefecture
artisan Manabu Tanaka for its soft, gentle blue and the simple form with faceted
surface. The teapot is big enough to
serve tea and coffee for a group of people.

[Keishi Tanaka Teapot 8640 yen Medium Size Plate 7560 yen]

The high fired unglazed teapot by Keishi
Tanaka based in Shiga Prefecture is a quiet, understated piece that reveals its
true beauty after years of regular use.
Tanaka-san pride his high fired unglazed works for its durability and
claims that after decades of use, his pieces gradually change their expression
and in the end, they almost resemble wood.
He says that the long hours of firing with wood enables the fire to
thoroughly reach to the core of the ware, thereby making his work durable for
many decades of use. The ash from wood
firing gives each piece unique finish with variance in rustic pattern and
color.

[Tetsuya Kowari Teapot
21,600 yen Plate 2,700 yen Cup 3,240 yen]

Tetsuya Kowari from Fujinomiya City near the
foot of Mount Fuji makes pieces that are steeped in the tradition of
Shigaraki-ware but also have one of a kind presence with strong, bold
form. This wood fired tea set is sure to
attract attention when used in tea time and will also be a wonderful wall
display.

[Akira Yamada Cofee Cup
& Saucer 10,800 yen Tea Pot 21,600
yen]

Though the word “tea” is oftentimes associated with Japanese green tea, we often say “tea break” even when we drink coffee and black tea, which is why we asked some of our artisans to make pieces that go well with coffee for this event.

Kyoto Prefecture artist Akira Yamada makes beautiful pieces with stunning colors and modern, stylish design. The remarkable contrast of scarlet and silver of this coffee cup & saucer is quite unique, and sure to make your coffee time a special moment.

Our event “Tableware for Tea Time” will be held for a month at our store. Please take this opportunity to find your favorite piece for a relaxing tea time.

[Tableware for Tea Time]

Teaware for green tea, black tea, and Chinese Tea, as well as coffee cups, mugs, and accessories.